Holy Matrimony
by Tripptych
Summary: The fairy tales never ended like this in the story books. Minor SasuNaru, AU.
1. Part One of Two

**Holy Matrimony**

By Tripptych / a m b a, y e a h?

Disclaimer: I don't own shit.

**Part One of Two**

**I had been cleaning up my stories list and accidently deleted this, lucky though I had it saved and I've recently edited it and reposted. **

…

_Off white, white, cream, off cream, bone white, pastel, non-pastel._

Sakura's insides were screaming for an escape from the idle chatter, the snarky and bickering, the differing in opinions and the unspoken war of females that had become nigh unbearable to be near. Seated between the grandmothers, mothers, aunties and even a few great grandmothers, Sakura sat full of guilt for herself and her _unlucky_ husband to be.

An arranged marriage, a joining in the families was the words put to actions, an Uchiha and Haruno wedding to strengthen the owed bonds between each of their honourable fathers, a match made in heaven, perfect was the versus used.

Another flurry of material and another larger than the last book was shoved in front of her face, smiling meekly accompanied by a shallow nod of her loose pink hair it was mere glimpse of the radiant and stunning smile she was capable of, one that was reserved for the best of times.

Like all traditional family orientated weddings, it was accustomed to have the mothers of the lucky couple assist in the planning; this was not the case for the saddened future Uchiha lady. This was their wedding that she was simply attending, she had but to nod and agree with whatever was said and brought to the table, let them squabble it out what was the best choice for her.

This wasn't her wedding after all.

It didn't matter anyway; this wasn't a real marriage in her eyes and she couldn't have cared less if she wore a brown meshed bag instead of the beautiful gown she knew awaited her, no amount of sparkly elegant gowns could hide the foundations of displeasure this wedding was built on.

A slamming of hands against the table top alerted her to another family dispute, they seemed all to frequent these days though this one seemed to be over flowers this time. Lilies were Mikoto's choice of flower however Sakura's grandmother disagreed vehemently, traditional in her way's roses were a better choice; poised and elegant, a symbol of love.

Love, the word was a foreign term to this agreement.

This wasn't a marriage of love; it was one of opportunity and business for someone else. Though she hadn't minded, she had always been told she would eventually marry to a man of her parents' choice, ever since she had been a little girl.

Memories of pink fluffy dresses, beautiful plastic crowns and clicky clacky heels adorned with fake embellishments clouded her head, wearing her mother's ill coloured make up and reciting the words she had heard many times in her fairy tales she would marry her 'prince' which would have been no more than a stuffed bear with a bed sheet tied around its neck.

To be married and have the husband she always wanted sounded absolutely perfect at the time and it was in the beginning.

Though her future husband's name had been withheld till her sweet sixteenth, and sweet sixteenth it had been indeed, Sasuke Uchiha such a dream come true. Handsome, well established, worthy family, and could offer the things she would need or want; a family, home and a man who would love her, it was nothing to be ungrateful for.

Life though has a funny way of turning into the unexpected. At first the arranged marriage had been well received, the engagement and courtship had gone according to plan and her future husband had seemed genuine enough to at least like her in a mutual respect, they hadn't hated each other and at first neither held any resentment for the agreement, seeing the benefits that would result, but as the months moved on her once charming prince turned into a cold and reclusive frog.

Snapping, snarling and outright speaking his distaste for her like one would a distasteful friend, it had been heartbreaking to be spoken about in such an ill manner; it cut her deeply and she spent many days worrying, fretting and making herself sad because of it.

Sasuke's actions had been uncalled for and sudden, occurring in barely a few months prior to their well anticipated wedding. Troubled greatly and raking her mind for things she could have possibly done to upset the Uchiha whizzed around her mind and sent her into little fits of self-consciousness that resulted in thoughts of 'what's wrong with me?' and 'why aren't I good enough?'.

Though it became apparent the reasons behind Sasuke's almost overnight change, and it broke Sakura's heart more than it should have. Naruto, the blonde haired blue eyed bombshell known as Sasuke's beta, his wingman and best friend was more than either of them were letting on, taking into account the compromising and scandalous position they had been caught in, in the bathroom; the stunningly beautiful and exotically incomparable blond male, was Sasuke's lover and clearly the only one in his world.

Feelings of anger, resentment and being cheated filled her chest at first but even though it was infidelity in the eyes of god she could not blame them, bitter mixed feelings of guilt and hurt replaced the anger. It was _her_who had _intruded_on their relationship, _she_ was the _other_ person, and she was only _ever_ meant to be the cover for their relationship, the front in a way.

She understood.

It was Naruto who should have felt angry and betrayed, hate her and despise her for being a home wrecker that she didn't even know she was in the first place but… he didn't, the blond man was too nice for that. He had understood the position Sasuke was put in, forced into and accepted it with bittersweet understanding.

Why couldn't she?

Angry, hurt and humiliated at herself for expecting a too good to be true fairy-tale she turned tail and stormed off, ready to blow her lid and tell the Uchiha patriarch what she had seen but a pressure against her wrist held her back. Whirling around with hot tears of pain blurring her vision and flushed cheeks she met Sasuke's dark eyes, pleading and begging for her to keep quiet.

The words he had told her rung in her head over the turmoil petty arguments of her relatives and soon to be in-laws, as if the dark haired man of her dreams had said it that very moment.

"I am in love with him Sakura, I always will be. He is the only light in my world; please don't take the only good thing in my life from me." The words were heartfelt and solid, a brutal truth and pair of eyes that had never held so much honesty till the then.

She wasn't one to lie, It had hurt, brutally so but she had understood.

The words and realization of she had just been robbed of her fairy tale life didn't seem to matter as she found herself nodding solemnly, promising to keep their relationship a secret and giving her unwritten consent to be the front, the façade, the obverse and head of the public marriage.

Though hurt and pain chocked her heart the elated feeling of gratitude she felt from Sasuke at that moment drove her into an accepted sordid. The look on his face was enough to seal the deal for her; a beautiful, heart wrenchingly beautiful smile of pure happiness and love would forever be burned into her mind, it was the first and probably only time she would ever see him give her that smile.

And she was ok with that, she was many things and had many things said about her but Sakura Haruno knew true love when she saw it and who was she to stand in the way of such a powerful feeling? They were each other's world and Sakura even if she had gotten rid of Naruto like she had wanted in the beginning, would never even take up a fraction of the Uchiha's.

And she knew this.

Sucking up her pride, hurt, humiliation and heartbreak; Sakura carried on, playing her part and moving forward with a smile on her face and a guard heart; after all you do crazy things when your inlove.*

•••

"**You do crazy things when you're in love" and quote from Disney's Hercules.**

**Read Authors note at the end of Chapter Two.**


	2. Part Two of Two

**Holy Matrimony**

_**Part Two of Two**_

…

The day had arrived finally, full of happiness, anticipation, nervousness and slight self-reproach; weeks and months of tedious planning and near feudal family wars over decorations and cake trimmings, everything was ready; elegant sheer hangings lined the seats of the garden wedding. Trimmed with silk ribbons and beaded pearl assortments, bouquets and tufts of lilies and roses all in white hung and sat situated precisely to every surface, it was breathtaking and a wonderland of beauty and grace.

Such beauty and effort had been put in for naught, Sakura thought; the dreaded feelings of guilt and pain surfaced as she was fitted into her chiffon and lace strapless mermaid tail gown; an embittered half shell smile stretching across her rogued cheeks. It was a beautiful dress in an off white colour that complemented her rosy complexion with ease, her pink straight hair had been twisted and pinned up into an elegant bun adorned with pearled embellishments and diamante beads topped with a sheer chiffon veil that had lace trimmings; it was beyond and above stunning both visual and physically but it held no emotional prowess or heroics.

The poignant deal that came with this dress was hard to forget and even hard to digest, the customary feelings of beauty and elation that every bride should feel were absent as she watched her assigned bridesmaids all dressed brilliantly in a mix of lavender pastel and crème white. Her equally stunning mother and mother to be dressed in a similar royal blue dress, a stark contrast to her bridal party and self; a bold statement and proclamation of their hierarchy their respected families.

"Oh dear look at the time!" Mikoto cried in slight surprise, her delicate hands flailing about as she began ushering the bridesmaids. Sakura could feel the weight of the ring on her ring finger, the white banded ring line on Mikoto's hand serving to emphasize the depth of this all.

The bridal party had consisted of a few girls she hadn't ever recalled knowing better than to say a brief hello to, smiled and giggled mercilessly. They were all stunningly beautiful and elegant looking, handpicked obviously to further the grandeur and surreal beauty this wedding was.

Spectacular and stunning, primped and primed to the perfection of their mothers taste's; Mikoto ushered the row of girls out of the room to align themselves in rehearsed structure they had spent weeks remembering.

Lifting the light weight and breezy lace of her dress a little Sakura shuffled out, barely taking calculated steps in the 5 inches of satin and diamante incrusted shoes that she would need simply to be able to reach the tower six feet of height that Sasuke was. More hands reached out to fluff her about, smoothing out the invisible wrinkles and adjusting the bodice to sit nicer, she was led down the hallway behind_her_ bridesmaids.

Deep breathing and clenching and unclenching fingers manicured and tipped with fine white glitter twisted in the masses of ribbon twirled around the handle of her flowers; white roses and lilies that spilt nicely down the front of her dress. Sakura's sweet honeyed breath blew painstakingly in and out, drying her painted red lips slightly. The tightening in her chest proved to be difficult as she allowed her mother in law to direct her through the winding and long hallways.

A sophisticated looking Haruno patriarch stood proudly, his red hair slicked back and a smart Armani tux fitted to his body, an his arm extended with a smile that could out shine the sun with it's brightness, as he waited for his only daughter to latch on to his arm. Smiling as fake and as shortly as she could through the masses of emotions threatening to rip from her throat, Sakura offered her best to her father, allowing a fraction of her fake happiness over take her as she sanctioned him to lead her forward once the music had started.

Roses Theme by Enya, a beautifully written piece of classical music erupted softly from the grand white and gold trimmed piano situated to the left of the oncoming doors, a greying woman dressed to overly in a dress made of sequined excellence drawled her fingers over the ivory keys. Impressive oak and mahogany carved doors opened off to the balcony she would walk down; the striking structure of the building was breathtaking and no less than fit to host the wedding of the century.

Faceless people she barely recognised and could never remember even meeting stared at her, a solid collection of shock, happiness and proud marring each and every one of their faces. Standing to their feet they pivoted their bodies to accustom her entrance as per tradition. Flashes of cameras and murmured comments broke the strong aura of happiness.

Misgiving and trepidation pulled viciously at her tightly wound insides, concentrating solely on the unstable ground she walked on, Sakura's heart pained sufficiently as she looked past her groom and the blond man beside him.

More Gasps, camera flashes and a few tears littering faces erupted within the crowd as she turned her immaculate and feigning smile on, it was fake and counterfeit but nobody would notice. Stepping up the three small steps of the balcony she began her walk of shame to the small artificial alter where her groom stood, polished and fancy and small fake smile of his own for her.

Though his looked more like a grimace to her and she could sympathise.

Her black rounded and immensely painted eyes shifted to the tuft of blonde peering just over Sasuke's shoulder, the exotic and thoroughly entrancing sea blue eyes belonging to Naruto looked at her with a mix of sadness and envy as if to say he should be the one in her place and she couldn't have agreed more.

The grin that he wore didn't quite reach his eyes made her falter in her steps.

Sasuke looked absolutely dashing in his flat black suit, fixed with a white tie and silver cuff links that had been a family heirloom, passed down through his fathers side, looked immaculate and business professional. But Naruto, oh god how had she ever thought she'd have a chance? The man looked beautiful, blonde sunny hair brushed messily but stylishly, a healthy clear complexion unlike her own make covered one and oh so distractingly good looking like a blond Adonis.

Images of the ugly duckling in reverse flooded her mind.

Hurt for herself and for him gripped her heart tightly, digging its claws in like a vice. Sakura's feet met resistance and she knew her father was trying to drag her the few more feet to no avail, hushed mutters and voices whispered over the crowd of people. Trying to be conspicuous in his attempts, her father tugged her arm in warning but she hadn't felt it her eyes never left Naruto's broken and hurt filled eyes that made her stop altogether.

"I cannot do this father, I won't do it." The words spilled from her red lips like a confession to god. Gasps of shock and fury erupted around her, cries of scandal and outrage came around her and her father spat angry words in her ear.

"Sakura you speak foolishness, you will –"Her father tried to reason through gritted teeth, obviously embarrassed and appalled at the display.

Pulling her pale arm from his suit clad one she looked at Naruto and Sasuke again, a mix of shock and disbelief marred each of their beautiful face's "I can't do this, I-I don't love him." She diverted her eyes to the ground, tears pooling hotly in the corners before she raised her head high and moved closer to them.

Stumbling a little, Sakura kicked of the expensive pair of shoes that cost more than her wage in a month, bring her height down considerably to Sasuke's collar bone. More shocked gasp's rung around in distaste as she side stepped the Uchiha heir and pulled Naruto into a tight embrace.

"I won't do this to you; I'm sorry for all the pain and hurt." Sakura let the words tumble from her mouth into his ear before she pulled away from the gobsmacked blonde to turn to her now ex finance.

"Everyone deserves their fairy tale ending, this wasn't meant to be mine; I love you Sasuke but not in the way I need to." Tears of running make up and saltiness trickled down her face as she smiled honestly at him, the first honest emotion she had ever given him.

"I'm sorry but I won't do it." The words felt like poison on her tongue as she turned away from the elated couple, faces of shock, anger, embarrassment and more anger met hers before she stepped down.

Hurrying past her bridesmaids and other shocked guest who had stood in their anger, Sakura lifted her dress from the ground avoiding a tear of damage to the beautiful dress. Pushing back through the oak and mahogany doors, her bare feet met with cold tile as she moved towards the room she had gotten dressed in.

Hot tears of both bittersweet love and resentment fell as she pushed through the door and towards her dressing room, a weight lifted from her heart and feeling of contentment. She hadn't needed to see the grateful and loving look she had received from both men as she moved away, removing Sasuke's mothers ring from her finger.

Sakura had lived solely on the dream of fairy tales and undying love stories her entire life, it wasn't surprising that it had turned out this way; fairy tales were concocted to be made. The whole time she had been focused on her fairy tale ending that she hadn't seen the true love right before her eyes; it may not have been her true love but it had been just as pure and unrequited.

This wasn't her fairy tale ending, no hers was yet to come and all she could hope for was one as perfect as theirs.

•••

**I am so sorry for deleting this, as I explained in the last chapter, I deleted a few of my stories and this one got caught in the cross fire. Though I'm slightly grateful since I've had a chance to edit a few things.**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the previous version, I am sorry for this.**


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